today was the first day of my "Master Cleanse" fast. you can find more info about it here. i first heard about this fast from my dad, who had a pamphlet describing the method. basically, you drink 6 - 12 glasses of a beverage made of fresh lemon juice, maple syrup (real maple syrup, not the fake corn syrup kind), cayenne pepper, and water. and drink plenty of water throughout the day as well. whenever you feel faint, drink more of the lemonade drink.
i've been very sluggish lately, and i want to do this fast in order to rid my body of toxins and become more energetic. several years ago, i did the fast, and only broke it because of my "taste greed." i wasn't actually hungry, since the maple syrup provides sufficient calories and nutrients to get you through the fast. but food just tastes so good!
i was all excited to start the fast yesterday, but i decided to finish off the vegetables in my fridge first. so my boyfriend and i ate huge salads for dinner. it is recommended to do a 3-day "ease-in" where you slowly reduce your food intake. but we didn't do that.
anyway, it's almost midnight tonight and i feel fine. i felt a bit faint and light-headed during the day, but after i took a nap i felt much better. i had food cravings earlier in the day, but like i said before it wasn't so much hunger as taste-greed. and it made me realize how eating is such a huge part of my life. i love food and i cook almost everyday. around 1 pm today i started to freak out a tiny bit and wonder if i should do the fast. psychologically, i felt afraid i might starve! i don't even eat lunch until 1 pm most days, so that's just silly. Evan and i took a walk today and as we passed restaurants we kept commenting on how good the food smelled. not being able to satisfy a hunger feels wrong somehow. and scary. but people have been doing fasts for purification purposes for i don't know how long. it really takes mental discipline. all the times i would use to prepare food or take a break to eat become voids. what do i do to fill that time? honestly, not having to eat makes me feel a bit lonely. i had decided to do this fast for 10 days, but after this first day i already wanted to quit a few times. so now i'm resolving to do at least 4 days. it is recommended not to do the fast less than 10 days, but i'm just going to do the best i can.
wish me luck :)
Wow, good luck Aijung. My wife tried an apple fast and it only lasted a day. I remember how tough going vegetarian was for me at first as well. We've been wanting to do some type of cleanse for similar reasons to yours. I've gotten so dependent on coffee lately, it's pretty sad.
ReplyDeletehey steve,
ReplyDeletethanks. i feel okay this morning and more resolved to complete my fast... well at least as long as possible. i've been a vegetarian for almost 16 years, though there was a short lapse when i ate meat a few times a month for a couple years. the hardest meat for me to go off of was Wendy's chicken nuggets (at first) and tuna fish (it was the last meat i ate, and the first i came back to). but after visiting Farm Sanctuary i had a better resolve to be a vegetarian. sometimes you have to renew the reasons why you have chosen something.
what is the apple fast? my mom did an apple cider vinegar and honey fast for 8 days! she was so energetic it scared me. i think the lemonade fast is supposed to help curb your addictions. luckily i don't have any, so it's easier for me.
if you and your wife do go on the cleanse, let me know so we can support each other!